dutasteride

Avodart

Pharmacologic class: Synthetic 4-azasteroid compound

Therapeutic class: 5-alpha-reductase inhibitor, sex hormone

Pregnancy risk category X

Action

Inhibits 5-alpha-reductase, an intracellular enzyme present in liver, skin, and prostate that's required for conversion of testosterone to 5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT appears to be the principal androgen responsible for stimulating prostatic growth.

Availability

Capsules: 0.5 mg

Indications and dosages

➣ Symptomatic benign prostatic hypertrophy (alone or in combination with tamsulosin)

Adults: 0.5 mg P.O. daily

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity to drug, its components, other 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors, xanthines (such as coffee, theobromine), or ethylenediamine

• Women

• Children

Precautions

Use cautiously in:

• hepatic impairment.

Administration

• Don't handle drug if you're pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

• Don't open or crush capsule.

• Give without regard to food.

Adverse reactions

GI: dyspepsia

GU: decreased libido, decreased ejaculatory volume, erectile dysfunction, gynecomastia

Interactions

Drug-drug. Cimetidine, ciprofloxacin, diltiazem, ketoconazole, other drugs metabolized by CYP450-3A4 pathway, ritonavir, verapamil: increased dutasteride blood level

Drug-diagnostic tests. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA): decreased level

Thyroid-stimulating hormone: increased level

Patient monitoring

• Monitor fluid intake and output. Assess for ease of starting urine stream and for urinary urgency or frequency.

• Check baseline PSA level; reevaluate at 3 to 6 months.

Patient teaching

• Tell patient to take drug with full glass of water without crushing or opening capsule.

• Instruct patient not to take capsule if it's cracked or leaking.

• Inform patient that drug decreases testosterone production in prostate.

• Tell patient to report dysuria and urinary urgency.

☞ Advise patient not to donate blood for at least 6 months after final dose.

• Inform patient that drug may decrease ejaculatory volume.

• Explain that sexual side effects eventually will subside.

• As appropriate, review all other significant adverse reactions and interactions, especially those related to the drugs and tests mentioned above.

e

Avodart

A brand name for DUTASTERIDE.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Mentioned in

dutasteride

References in periodicals archive

Avodart Capsules may also be used with tamsulosin for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia in men with an enlarged prostate.

Mylan introduces Dutasteride Capsules

In Canada, the new marketed fixed-dose combination product, Jalyn (GlaxoSmithKline) (0.5 mg dutasteride + 0.4 mg tamsulosin) is the same price as dutasteride (Avodart, GlaxoSmithKline) alone, so that once the additional cost of tamsulosin is eliminated, the fixed-dose combination must be less expensive than the two drugs separately.

Cost-effectiveness of dutasteride-tamsulosin combination therapy for the treatment of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia: A Canadian model based on the CombAT trial

The two main classes of BPH drugs: alpha blockers like Flomax and UroXatral, which relax the muscles of the bladder neck and prostate, and 5-alpha reductase inhibitors like Proscar and Avodart, which lower levels of hormones produced by the prostate.

Pills for prostates

Clinical outcomes after combined therapy with dutasteride plus tamsulosin or either monotherapy in men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) by baseline characteristics:4-year results from the randomized, double blind Combination of Avodart and Tamsulosin (CombAT) trial.

Treatment options in benign prostate hyperplasia associated with lower urinary tract symptoms / Benign prostat hiperplazisi ile iliskili alt uriner sistem semptomlarinda tedavi secenekleri

If changing medications is not an option, your doctor may prescribe a drug to help control your symptoms, such as an alpha-blocker like Flomax or 5-alpha reductase inhibitor like Avodart, which are used to treat problems caused by prostate enlargement.

Urinary incontinence is a problem for many older men

Of the 302 patients randomized, 38% of men given dutasteride (Avodart) 0.5 mg daily and 49% of those given placebo experienced some progression of their cancer.

Dutasteride slows early prostate Ca progression: REDEEM study included men with low-risk, early-stage disease followed with active surveillance

The Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee agreed, voting 17-0 to reject Merck's Proscar (finasteride) and 14-2 against Glaxo's Avodart (dutasteride).

FDA advisers reject Glaxo, Merck prostate drugs

Chemical Development at RTP is a relatively small department, with about 150 employees, but it has developed processes for some high-profile drugs, such as AZT, Valtrex, Zyban and Avodart, for prostate treatment.

Jacketed reactors offer green solution: the traditional way to develop a manufacturing process is to do the initial development in round-bottomed laboratory flasks and make the transition to small-scale production-type reactors when the process is ready for piloting; but, suggests Tom Adams, Director Technical Sales, from De Dietrich Process Systems, laboratory-scale jacketed reactors may be an alternative

A four-year study by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) into a combined treatment using two drugs found results were better than using the individual drugs - Avodart or Tamsulosin -alone.

A NEW treatment for men [...]

A four-year study by GlaxoSmithKline into a treatment using two drugs - CombAT - found results were better than using individual drugs - Avodart or Tamsulosin - alone.

Drug hope for prostate sufferers; MEDICINE